I've got no doubt, in the next 10 to 15 years, we will see a female referee in the Premier League," she said. She says the adage, "If you can see it, you can be it" applies to her story, and she hopes her appointment will spur others on as Massey-Ellis did for her. There are a few names you will hear frequently when discussing history-making women working the mens game in Europe. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "Twenty minutes into one game, somebody sat in the stand next to my dad didn't even realise the ref was a female. Ten years ago, a sexism row erupted over Sian Massey-Ellis officiating as an assistant referee in the Premier League, the dinosaur view that women cannot grasp the offside rule seeping into punditry. If I finish in the top one or two per cent at the end of the season, I put myself in a position to be selected. Today, these games are at an amateur level, but it is run on more professional grounds, which is good to see. [24], In June 2017, Massey-Ellis was appointed to be an assistant referee for the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in the Netherlands. Drahan Arda officiating at game at Mithatpaa Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey in 1968. [26], On 3 December 2018, Massey-Ellis was appointed to be an assistant referee at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. "Promoting women's football will help continue its growth, especially with how it's growing after the Euros. We watched the Euros last summer at our cousin's house in Manchester and were so happy when Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal. 03:15 - Source: CNN. Amy Fearn came on as an injury substitute to referee an EFL game in 2010, but only Welch has been appointed to take charge of a full match. "I've received criticism for my refereeing, and that's part of football. The English Football League (EFL) has appointed it's very first female referee. It looks so cool and different compared to the other trophies. Making History: Female Soccer Referees - Groundhopper Soccer Guides ", Owen: Relegation battle is going down to the wire, Leicester and Everton forced to share a point Katalin Kulcsar is a Hungarian football referee and a role model for aspiring female referees around the world. So the sight of four female refs on the pitch was nothing short of astonishing. Other women referees Serie A is not the first league to appoint a female official to referee a match. Welch said it was only recently that she had come to consider her position as a pioneer. Women were less common running the sidelines of mens football in England in the early 20th century. Zooming in on the . BRE 2 - 1 NFO. But like Steinhaus-Webb, she is keen to make sure any promotion is for the right reasons. Massey-Ellis was appointed to the FIFA list of women assistant referees in 2009 and turned professional in 2010. ", Bridie Hannon and Kathryn Smith (Leeds United Women players). ", David Jenkins (Portsmouth Women Development super fan), "The girls played well and gave it their best, which is all that matters at the end of the day. It . Mark Clattenburg: Former Premier League referee criticized for - CNN English football referees officiate matches in English football. Welsh will be the first female referee to have been officially appointed to oversee an EFL game, 'Anyone can referee' says UK's first Muslim female ref. Id never seen myself as a trailblazer until the last year, where Ive started to accept it because I think its important that people who are fortunate enough to be in my position or similar can show people that this can be done, she said. Female Premier League referee only a matter of time - Massey-Ellis Manchester City Women; Manchester United Women; Reading Women; Tottenham Hotspur Women; West Ham United Women; Scottish Championship. In 2019, she became the first female referee to take charge of a Ligue 1 match, in August 2019 the first to take charge of a major men's European match, and in 2020, the first to officiate a men . To become a FIFA referee, applicants must . All rights reserved. With Welch taking charge of Harrogate v Port Vale on Easter Monday, Molly McElwee writes on why this appointment matters for the game. Arda refereed for thirty years in Turkey and Germany. She has already taken charge of the 2017 Women's FA Cup final and mens matches in the National League, and she is now in contention for Fifa selection for the Womens World Cup in 2023. Katie Patterson is making history as the first female to referee a professional football match in England. External Link, Be wary of future Brighton rotation in FPL, FPL player price changes - rises, falls and top transfers for Gameweek 35, Gameweek 34 FPL stats: Haaland rewards as Triple Captain, Double Gameweek 34 FPL bonus points: Pickford hauls, Chelsea to play Borussia Dortmund in Chicago "If it's not me, I've got no doubt, in the next 10 to 15 years, we will see a female referee in the Premier League," she said. "The icing on the cake helping the women's game grow has been the Lionesses winning the Euros. She was part of an all-female on-field team; a male referee served as the fourth official. "It's happening university has finished and I am going all out," Roble, whose family moved to London from Somalia when she was just 10 to escape the country's civil war, told the Press Association. However, at the time, they could not be appointed to games because there were no women on the 1991 FIFA List of Referees. On Monday, however, Rebecca Welch makes history as the first woman to officiate a men's English Football League match, while readily admitting: "I never really understood why anyone would want to take that route". Cludia Vasconcelos Guedes (center) with lineswomen Linda Black (left) and Zuo Xiudi (right) prior to the 3rd place playoff between Sweden and Germany, in Guangzhou, China in 1991. Seven-year-old girl builds her own rocket! "I think it's hugely significant," she told BBC Sport. region: "na1", "I've seen both sides of the game from when I first started playing for a local boys team, to having to pay to play at Tranmere Rovers, where there were a lot of volunteers who helped run the club, to then playing professionally at Leeds United and Doncaster Belles, to also playing for England, where we had everything from personal sports scientists to doctors and cooks at St George's Park. Top 10 Female Football Referee in 2023 - fastsportsly.com The tournament, FIFA stated in its announcement, would feature the first female referees in the 92-year history of the men's World Cup, with six women among the 129 officials. "We love women's football a lot. [19], Massey-Ellis's early international career has included involvement in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup by taking up the role of fourth official for England's 40 qualification stage win over Austria on 20 April 2006. CRY 4 - 3 WHU. Analysis and opinion from our chief football writer. Video, County Antrim pupils record special coronation hymn. Referee Craig Pawson Asst. Why are there so many big bees around right now? She was the first woman to referee a mens professional football match in Europe and is currently the only female referee in the top division of any European country. She's excited, but I don't think she knows why! "I don't want women to be promoted to the middle of the Premier League just so we can tick a box. She said that Frappart's selection as a referee, rather than on the sidelines, is key. I'm very fortunate to have been given this opportunity and I'm really excited about it. Thus, on May 27, I turned on the TV to watch a CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores group stage game between Defensa y Justicia of Argentina, and Independiente del Valle of Ecuador. There are more than 50 female officials across the Premier League, Championship, Women's Super League and Women's Championship. She says that Frappart's display and that of other female officials in Qatar - another two female referees and three assistant referees are also available for selection - is crucial for paving the way for a new generation. FC Barcelona eliminate Chelsea to advance to third straight UEFA Women Frappart, 36, will take hold of the Juventus-Dynamo Kiev match in Turin. I've got a big support network, and nobody understands you better than another referee. Barcelona eliminated Chelsea FC on aggregate, 2-1, after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw during the . Jonsson ended up working as a lineswoman in the Final. She is the only female FIFA referee in Switzerland and is paving the way for other women in the sport. She began her refereeing career in the late 1980s and in 1991 she became the fourth referee. Liverpool's Klopp risks ban over feud with match referee The 27-year-old from Birmingham has been refereeing since she was 13 and is now the first woman to take charge of a professional game in the English Football League. Women have been actively participating, albeit mostly from the sidelines, in mens football for almost a century. However, at the time, they could not be appointed to games because there were no women on the 1991 FIFA List of Referees. Thus, the Copa Libertadores game I watched last week was the first time in history that there were six female referees working a top-level international mens soccer game. "It is nice having Stourbridge Women to look up to because we want to be like them and hopefully have careers as female footballers. I don't really try to focus too much on the future, I always take one game at a time. greatest female football referees in the world i. s Wendy Toms who is the first female ever who officiated at the Premier League and football league. In the last 10 years Ive put a lot of hard work and commitment in and Ive reaped the rewards from that by getting promoted. (Photo: Drahan Ardas archives via Facebook). Copyrights Fast Sportsly. . "We are both in the same leagues but in different areas of the country, so we knew it was going to be a tough game and had to make sure we were reliable to each other as team-mates on where we were playing on the pitch. "I'm aware that not everybody is as fortunate as me and I'm aware it does happy. Melksham was born in Australia and began her career as a referee in the state of Victoria in 2001. Four fouls in 90 (well, 93 plus first-half stoppages) minutes doesn't sound like many but the upper limit for the average Premier League regular is lower than two a game. "But I love sports, and my job is not so much a chore when I'm being paid to watch events and capture shots. But it's really important to have a support network not connected to football too.". This is a significant increase from the handful of female referees that were present in the early 2000s and serves as a testament to the progress that has been made in terms of gender equality in football. 29 April 2023 Counties 16. Romani started her career as an assistant referee in the Italian Serie B in 2018 and has since gone on to referee in the Italian Serie A and Coppa Italia. As the team captains greeted each other and the referees for the coin toss, I noticed something out of the ordinary: All of the referees were women! But Welch taking her place in the elite men's game in England, along with referees in Europe like Stephanie Frappart and Kateryna Monzul - who both became the first women to referee men's World Cup qualifiers last weekend - help silence outdated views, and move the sport on. Everyone screamed and it was one of the best days of our lives! Ten years ago, a sexism row erupted over Sian Massey-Ellis officiating as an assistant referee in the Premier League, the dinosaur view that women cannot grasp the offside rule seeping into punditry. The answer is soon, according to Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb, who broke the same ground in the Bundesliga and is now in charge of England's elite female officiating talent. Rebecca Welch is highest-ranking female referee in English football; Referee chiefs Mike Riley and Mike Jones approved her appointment for Monday's League Two fixture between Harrogate Town and Port Vale; Welch cites influence of Premier League assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis, Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. I've got faith in the system, and I've been rewarded.". And the first female lead referee for an international match organized by UEFA was Nicole Petignat (Switzerland) in 2003. recently made history as the first female appointed to take charge of an, , as of June 2020, there were 2,146 women refereeing across all levels of English football. Sian Massey-Ellis is a trailblazing female football referee who has broken down barriers in what is traditionally seen as a male-dominated industry. Video, 00:02:10, 'Anyone can referee' says UK's first Muslim female ref, Watch Newsround - signed and subtitled. [5][6][7], She is based in Coventry, West Midlands. Steinhaus-Webb, who became the first woman to referee. In January 2020, she won the award for the UPL's best . (Photo: Phil Stephens Photography/FIFA Museum). Who are the Premier League assistant referees for 2021/22? [7][15][16][17] The PGMOB also withdrew her for a second time, from a Conference North game between Corby Town and Eastwood Town on 29 January, with Corby stating there had been huge demand for television access when it was announced Massey was to referee the game. Meanwhile, Yamashita became the first women to referee matches in the J-League and Asian Champions League, on top of officiating at the 2019 Women's World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Thirty years on from a plane crash devastated Zambian football, BBC Sport Africa hears how a Danish coach helped a nation recover from tragedy. Stphanie Frappart takes centre stage in big moment for women in football | Suzanne Wrack, Women's Club World Cup could happen 'fairly soon', says ECA chief executive, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Per the BBC, as of June 2020, there were 2,146 women refereeing across all levels of English football. Who are the Premier League referees? 2022/23 officials, salaries and Jawahir Roble is the first female Muslim referee, she plans to continue to smash stereotypes by officiating in the Premier League. In 2019, Yoshimi Yamashita, alongside Makoto Bozono and Naomi Teshirogi, took charge of a group match in the AFC Cup. To be given this opportunity to work in the EFL is amazing for me.. Rebecca Welch made history on Monday as she became the first appointed female referee to take charge of an English Football League (EFL) game. Qatar World Cup to feature three female referees with Premier League's became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup game. Trailblazer Rebecca Welch targeting Premier League referee role and "We need more people involved, more fans and more broadcast events. "But when you reflect on it [and] think youre the first woman ever to do this, Im extremely proud. "It seems to have been a whirlwind over the past 11 years and now we're a week away from one of the biggest games of my career. Diogo Jota's stoppage-time strike sealed victory at Anfield, just 99 seconds after Spurs thought Richarlison's first Premier League goal for the club had rescued a . The highest-ranking female referee in English football will take charge of the League Two clash between Harrogate Town and Port Vale on Monday. The 27-year-old has been a professional referee since 2014 and has officiated over 100 matches in the Swiss professional leagues. Asked how long it would be before a woman took charge of a Premier League game, she said "maybe five years". , Edith Klinger from Austria, who was active from 1935 1938, was the first female referee to officiate both mens and womens matches. Rebecca Welch becomes first female referee to be appointed to EFL game ahead of Harrogate Town vs Port Vale, Rebecca Welch has told Sky Sports News of her pride and excitement as she is set to become the first female appointed to referee a game in the English Football League. "It's not something I thought that, when I decided to be a referee 11 years ago, I would be in the Football League doing a game. On the international level, Steinhaus was in charge of the UEFA Womens Champions League final in 2017 as well as the Womens World Cup final in 2011 and the gold medal match for the Womens Olympics in 2012 at Wembley Stadium. They refereed a group-stage game in the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which is the second most senior national team competition in the continent after the Africa Cup of Nations. It is really beautiful. So this is an absolutely a fantastic moment.". Several competitions include UEFA Champions League, Premier League, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 have already had a female referee. It Is What It Is: Referee Peter Bankes, an expert in the art of the Play for free, entries by 3:00pm. Jawahir Roble: England's First Female Muslim Referee Aiming - Insider She, along with Mariana de Almeida (Argentina) and Neuza Back (Brazil), were the first women to be appointed to work a senior FIFA mens tournament. Stephanie Frappart made history on Wednesday by . Female referees continue to deal with sexist comments and actions on the field, by announcers, and by the public. "Looking into the National League, it takes me back to when I was trying to balance an education to playing football and trying to train everyday while also having other commitments as I couldnt focus on football full-time at this level. Female referees have unique skills that make them well-suited for the job. So the sight of. What Is A Double Double In Basketball? Frappart took charge of refereeing a mens UEFA Champions League match in December 2020 (another first) and was the first woman in charge of a mens World Cup Qualifying match in March 2021. . The first female referee in FIFA was Jacqui Melksham, who was approved in 2005. The Premier League could still be a decade away from assigning its first female referee, according to Referees' Association chairman Paul Field. Rebecca Welch has made history by becoming the first woman appointed to referee a game in the English Football League. They have the same level of knowledge, training and experience in the game, and are often more organized and efficient. Katalin began her refereeing career in 1990 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a FIFA-accredited referee in 1998. hbspt.forms.create({ Stephanie Frappart became the first woman to referee a men's World Cup game as she oversaw Germany's 4-2 win over Costa Rica on Thursday. My mum doesn't know a lot about football. She later became the first female to officiate as an assistant referee in the Football League (1994) and then the Premier League (1996). Bibiana Steinhaus began refereeing in the mens 2. Currently, there are more than 200 female referees who are officially part of the FIFA Referees Committee, making up around 15% of the total number of referees in FIFA. , three women became the first to control a match at a senior Confederation of African Football (CAF) mens tournament. Premier League 'behind' Europe and could be decade away from female referee To become a FIFA referee, applicants must pass a fitness test and complete a refereeing course. Her career has been marked by great success and she has been praised for her confidence and authority when officiating games. It helped the game become stable after years of stagnancy. For reference, Petra Tabarelli found the first occurrence of three females officiating in a top-level mens soccer match anywhere in the world at a Brazilian Serie A game in June 2003. Its so weird seeing the Euros trophy in real life because we have only seen it on the telly. The story is similar when you look at historic refereeing milestones around the globe over the past few years. [10], On 11 February 2010, Massey-Ellis refereed the season's FA Women's Premier League Cup final between Leeds Carnegie and Everton at Rochdale's Spotland Stadium. "My only concern was were they were going to take the girls and then only use them the fourth official? FC Barcelona will add another stamp to their UEFA Women's Champions League finals passport. [citation needed], Massey-Ellis was the subject of censorship by Iranian state TV broadcasters when she was an assistant referee for a 12 April 2021 Premier League game between Manchester United and Tottenham. The latest rumours and stories from around the world of football. Marking firsts like this for women in football matters, especially in a space where they have not always been fully welcome. Aspinall joins Sian Massey-Ellis in the league . Welcome to the dangerous world of the yakuza: Watch the slick, stylish drama Tokyo Vice on BBC iPlayer now. In spite of ample evidence documenting Edith Klingers achievements, FIFA recognized Drahan Arda of Turkey as the worlds first female football referee in 2018, perhaps because she was still alive to pursue the designation. The 32-year-old from Coventry is one of the assistant referees at . Spicemas Launch 28th April, 2023 - Facebook ', Sprint beef, Ferrari respite & reignited title fight | What we learnt in Baku, PL hits and misses: Vintage Vardy making timely Leicester comeback, Welch, centre, warms up with Sian Massey-Ellis, right, ahead of the last Women's FA Cup final at Wembley, Premier League assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis discusses equality, online hate, VAR, the Sergio Aguero incident and being a trailblazer for girls who want to make it in sport, Trailblazer Massey-Ellis: VAR, mistakes & social media. How much do Premier League referees get paid? - Metro Stephanie Frappart: When might a woman referee a Premier League game Lidya Tafesse, center, of Ethiopia with assistant referees Bernadettar Asimenye Kwimbira of Malawi and Nigerias Mimisen Agatha Iyorhe made history in January.